Gujarat Congress and Hardik Patel-led PAAS had announced that they had arrived at a consensus over the issue of granting reservation to the Patidar community.

Gandhinagar: Minutes after reaching an agreement for the upcoming state Assembly elections in Gujarat, members of the Congress and the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) clashed at several Congress offices across the state.

The bone of contention was seat sharing – the Congress had reportedly promised the PAAS five seats, but the Congress list released on Sunday night featured two PAAS leaders. The Hardik Patel-led organisation had demanded 20 seats and PAAS members expressed anger and started protesting in many parts of the state, claiming they were not given proper representation.

Around 20 other Patel candidates, who are not members of the PAAS, also find mention in the list. The two who have been given tickets are Lalit Vasoya from Dhoraji and Amit Thummar from Junagadh seat.

In Surat, PAAS members ghearoed the city unit office late in the night and indulged in sloganeering against the Congress.

"Our community members have not been given proper representation in the list that has been declared. We will not allow any Congress office to function in the state," Surat city PAAS convenor Dharmik Malaviya told reporters.

In Ahmedabad, PAAS convenor Dinesh Bhambania, with his supporters reached the house of state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki to represent their case.

"We will organise a protest in front of every office of the Congress across the state. Bharatsinh Solanki should talk to us," he said. However, Solanki was not present at his Ahmedabad residence.

"The Congress has given tickets to two of our members without taking us into confidence. Other Patel candidates that they have selected are bogus. We will hold massive protests against Congress tomorrow," another PAAS convenor Alpesh Kathiria said.

Earlier in the day, PAAS members led by Bhambania and Kahiria had met Solanki and other Congress leaders. After the meeting, it was declared that they had reached a compromise formula.

Sources in the party had earlier said that the PAAS was demanding around 20 seats and negotiations were on between the PAAS and Congress on seat sharing.

Earlier, there were rumours that the Congress party had delayed in releasing its first list of candidates for the Gujarat elections owing to Hardik Patel playing hardball over the reservation issue as well as due to factionalism within Congress.

"The meeting was successful and yielded a positive outcome. We both agreed to implement this agreement in coming days," he said.

Notably, this development came just a day before the Congress Working Committee is slated to meet at party chief Sonia Gandhi’s residence to discuss the schedule for the elections of the post of party president, Speculations are rife that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi could be elevated to the post of party chief before the Gujarat elections.

A week ago PAAS leaders and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal held a meeting over the issue, following which, Hardik Patel had said he was satisfied with the three options submitted by the Congress on how the party would grant reservation to Patels if voted to power.

Hardik Patel had earlier set a condition that he would support the Congress in the Assembly polls, due next month, only if the party committed itself to allotting reservation in education and government jobs to his community.

The polling for the two-phase elections in Gujarat will take place on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18.

Hours after 'finalizing deal,' Congress-PAAS leaders clash over seat sharingDescription:Gujarat Congress and Hardik Patel-led PAAS had announced that they had arrived at a consensus over the issue of granting reservation to the Patidar community.Times Now